Apparatus for drying live cocoons and the like



Jan. 26 1926.

K. KOBORI APPARATUS FOR DRYING LIVE COCOONS ANDTHE LIKE Filed April 1.8, 1923 Z Z/ ZZ/ Patented Jan. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,570,843 PATENT, OFFICE.

1 KIHAGHIRO KOBORI, OF KOBE, JAPAN, ASSIGNOR TO KANEGAFUCHI BOSEKI -KABUSHI KI KWAISHA, 0F 'IOKYO, JAPAN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING LIVE COOOON S AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April 18, 1923. .Serial no. 632,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KIHAGHIRO KOBORI, a subject of the Empire of Japan, and resident in care of Business Department of The Kanegafuchi Boseki Kabushiki Kwaisha, I-Iigashi-Shiri-Ike, Kobe, Japan, have. invented certain new and useful invention in Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Live Cocoons and the like, of'which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for drying live cocoons and the like, and has for its object to provide a novel drying apparatus wherein the drying chamber consists of two compartments for both direct and indirect heating and which is capable of checking and varying the drying action of live cocoons while passing through the direct heating and then the indirect heating compartment. In addition, the apparatus is so constructed as to utilize the hot air discharged from the indirect heating compartment in heating the cocoons preliminary to their delivery into the drying chamber thereby ensuring a complete drying of live cocoons in an effective and economical way. I

There are many kinds of drying apparatuses for drying live cocoons and the like,-

and it is already known to apply endlessbelt like conveyors for carrying cocoons through a drying chamber. In drying apparatuses of said type, hitherto in use, the heating means is provided within the drying chamber, or it is arranged outside the drying chamber and the air heated thereby is introduced into the drying chamber. In either of said types the temperature is usual- 1y uniform throughout the drying chamber, and the control of the temperature for some special conveyers independently of others is particularly difficult. Especially in case hot air is introduced, the temperature of the air acting on the several conveyers is uniform, and it is almost impossible to keep the desired difference of temperature between live cocoons entering the chamber at the'beginning of drying and dried cocoons leaving the chamber at the end of drying. For the above stated reasons, drying apparatuses of the endless conveyer type hitherto in use, are apt to produce unsatisfactory results such, for instance, as excessive drying of cocoons having an injurious effect upon the silk fibre, and insufficient drying endangering the safe storage of cocoons.

According to the present invention the adjustments of temperature and spcedroi' conveyers, especially at the final stage of drying, can be easily and precisely controlled and therefore live cocoons are economically and perfectly dried.

The accompanying drawing shows an example of the drying apparatusembodying the present invention. In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, showing the part of cocoon feeder in longitudinal section; Fig. 2 is afront elevation of same; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side elevation of the drying chamber; and Fig. 4 is a plan View of same.

As shown in Fig. 3, the drying chamber (16) is divided into two compartments by a horizontally disposed longitudinal partition wall (13) and (14). An opening is formed between the ends of saidpartitions (13) and. (14), through which cocoons pass from the endless conveyer (3) provided within the upper compartment to the endless conveyer (4) provided within the lower compartment. One end of the partition (14) is projected obliquely upwards to guide the cocoons onto the conveyor 4.

Vithin the upper compartment of the drying chamber endless-belt like conveyers (1) (2) and (3) are horizontally arranged one above the other, while within the lower compartment only one endless conveyer (4) is arranged. These conveyers are made of wire nettings, cloth or the like which per mits free passage of air therethrough, and each conveyer is provided with a. suitable adjusting driving means so that the speed of any conveyer. can be adjusted independently of the others. a y

The heating means for the conveyers (l) (2) and in the upper compartment of the drying chamber, consist of steam pipes (9) (10) and (11) respectively arranged in the space inside the conveyers. For heating the conveyer (4) in the lower compartment, a hot air chamber (15) is arranged outside the drying chamber (16) adjacent to its lower compartment and steam pipes (12) are arranged therein for heating the air in said chamber as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The hot air is introduced into the lower compartment by means of fans (18). After having acted on cocoons on the conveyer (a) the hot air passes through pipes 19 connected with the other side of the lower compartment and also with a pipe which is connected with a preliminary drying chamber (17) arranged the front end of the main drying chamber (16). The hot air passing out of the lower compartment at the final stage of drying, contains less moisture than the air used during the first drying stages and therefore it can be effectively used vtor initially heating live cocoons beifore they are supplied to the drying chamher. Thus considerable economy of heat is obtained; and possibility of damaging the silk tibre on cocoons caused by a sudden change of temperature as by directly -feeding them, Without preliminarily heating into the main drying chamber, is avoided. At the bottom part of the preliminary heating chamber (17) steam pipes (20) are pref? crably arranged to warm said chamber when necessary.

The air heated by the steam pipes (9) (i) and (11) in the upper compartment of the drying chamber ascends through the conveyors acting on cocoons closely spread over the surface oi each conveyer, and the temperature of said air increases as it approaches the top of the chamber 16 and successively contacts with the steam pipes 9, and 11. Thus the air while at its highest temperature acts on live c'ocoons on the uppermost conveyer (1) while the hot air highly saturated with moisture is expelled ihroiiigh the outlet pipes (23) arranged at the top of the drying chamber (16) and having regulating dampers 24: arranged therein. I

in endless beaded conveyors 33 supported on drums (32) and (3a) is arranged to scoop up the live cocoons from a cocoon box (36) in front of the drying chamber, and to deliver them to the front end of the uppermost conveyer (1) passing over an inclined plate (37) as shown in Fig. 1. Thus live cocoons can be automatically supplied in the desired quantity. Another endless conveyor made of cloth or leather, is arranged in the cocoon box to carry cocoons forward onto the conveyer The in clined plate (37) fixed in the cocoon box (3(3) prevents the cocoons from falling behind the conveyer 1 into the bottom or the box.

A funnel shaped box for receiving dried cocoons is placed below the front end or the lowermost conveyer (a) as shown in Figs. 2 and The bottom of said box opens into api-pe (22), connected with a fan blower (38) at one end, and the dried cocoons falling into the box (21) are pneumatically transported through the pipe (22) to a. desired place. a

idiaii'r pulley drives pulley (8-1) as shown in Fig. l, and by said pulley the cocoon teed-ingmechanism is suitably driven. Another pulley (28) isa'lso driven by the main pulley and from the former several sets of pulleys as (25), (2o) (26), (25) (25) and (27) (27)"'are lriven by turn as shown in Fig. i, where- ;y the fans (18) fixed on the axes of said pulleys are operated.

I claim l. in an apparatus for drying live oocoons and the like, a drying chamber divided internally into upper and lower comiartinents, conveyors arranged in the upper compartment, heating means for said conv'eyor's, a conveyor arranged in the lower conn'iartinent, air heating means arranged exteri'orly of the drying chamber, means for introducing the heated air into the lower compartment, means for heating cocoons preliminarily to their introduction in the heating chamber, and means for conducting the air exhausted from the lower coin partme'nt to the preliminarily heating means.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the provision of means for conveying cocoons into the drying chamber.

An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the provision of means for receiving and pneumatically conveying the dried cocoons;

l. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the provision of means for feeding cocoons into the drying chamber, and means for receiving and pneumatically transporting dried cocoons. I

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

KIHACHIRO KoBoiei. 

